Officials: Misspelled "Wallmart" email is a scam

If you receive an email notification thanking you for purchasing a flatscreen TV from Walmart's website this week, do not open it.

Comment

MailTribune.com

Writer

Posted May. 17, 2013 at 3:00 PM
Updated May 17, 2013 at 6:00 PM

Posted May. 17, 2013 at 3:00 PM
Updated May 17, 2013 at 6:00 PM

» Social News

If you receive an email notification thanking you for purchasing a flatscreen TV from Walmart's website this week, do not open it.

A release on Walmart's website says the emails are part of a nationwide scam intended to gather personal and financial information from unwitting recipients.

"Please know that this is not from Walmart.com," the release reads. "Do not click on any of the links in the email."

There is a key telltale sign of the email's disingenuousness. The scammers spell Walmart "Wallmart" — with two L's.

Those who receive the email should delete it. Store officials say individual online user accounts were not hacked. If you did open the email, keep a close eye on your bank statements and make sure your computer's antivirus software is up to date.

The scammers are attempting to pull off a "phishing scam," which local law enforcement says is an attempt to get information like Social Security or credit card numbers, or other types of financial information.

"A lot of times that's how they get user names and passwords," said Detective Josh Nieminen of the Southern Oregon High-Tech Crimes Task Force.

The scam emails can obtain that personal information in a couple of ways. If the email recipient calls or responds to the email to dispute the sale, the scammer will "verify" by asking for a credit card number or Social Security information and then pretend to fix the mistake. If the person clicks a link in the email, they will often be redirected to a fake site. Once there, they may be prompted to enter personal information, followed by a false site error.

"There are different methods, but that's the most common," said Nieminen. " It looks like the right page, but isn't. Don't use any of the links in the email."

There are other similar scams where people receive physical checks, which includes a request from the sender that they cash or deposit the check, but send them a certain amount to complete the transaction.